This page models a legal/regulatory process for teaching and reference. It is not legal advice.

—- struct data —- model.jurisdiction : Boston, MA model.category : Land use / development review model.statute : Boston Zoning Code Article 80B model.status : draft model.steward : Al Lee (proposed) model.diagram : diagrams:boston-article80-review.bpmn model.wikidataqid : model.lastreviewed : 2026-06-27

boston article80 development-review bpmn draft

The path a large development project follows through Boston's Article 80 review: classification, filing, scoping and public engagement, the impact report and its adequacy determination, Boston Civic Design Commission review (now Article 81), the board vote, and — on approval — the development agreement and mitigation.

This models the Large Project Review track. The threshold decision that routes a project here (vs. Small, PDA/IMP, notification, or no review) lives on its own page, per the one-diagram-per-page rule. Boston's review process is mid-modernization (fully in effect 2026), so several steps are flagged for review below.

diagrams:boston-article80-review.bpmn

• Project proposed (StartProjectProposed). - Determine Article 80 review path (TaskDeterminePath) — business-rule step; calls boston-article80-threshold.
• Which review path? (GWPath) — routes to no-review / rehab notification / PDA-IMP / Small / Large. - File Letter of Intent (TaskLOI) → Project Notification Form (TaskPNF). - Scoping Determination; convene advisory group (TaskScoping) → Public comment period (TaskPublicComment). - File Draft Project Impact Report (TaskDPIR).
• Adequacy determination met? (GWAdequacy) — if not, Revise & refile (TaskRevise).
• BCDC design review required? (GWBCDC) — if so, BCDC review (Art. 81) (TaskBCDC).
• Planning board / BRA vote (TaskBoardVote) → Board approves? (GWDecision).
• Execute development agreement & mitigation (TaskAgreement) → Large project approved (EndApproved); else Project denied (End_Denied).

Classification into this track is delegated to the DMN at boston-article80-threshold (called at TaskDeterminePath). The in-process gateways are GWAdequacy (Adequacy Determination, § 80B-5), GWBCDC (Article 81 design-review trigger), and GWDecision (board approval).

Transition note: The old BPDA has been replaced by the City Planning Department, and the Article 80 modernization is the most substantial change since 1996, fully in effect in 2026. Body names and thresholds are in flux — see gaps.

• Advisory body (TaskScoping) — modernization introduces Community Advisory Teams and an early-engagement toolkit; confirm the current body and timeline. * Adequacy iteration (GWAdequacy/TaskRevise) — the real process iterates with supplemental filings; modeled here as a single revise step, not a loop. * BCDC trigger (GWBCDC) — a 200,000 SF threshold surfaced in modernization comments; confirm the current trigger and the “Projects of Special Significance” discretionary triggers.
• Voting body (Task_BoardVote) — confirm the current name/authority post-BPDA-to-Planning-Department transition.

• boston-a80-large-approved — large project, adequate, BCDC review, approved.
• boston-a80-substantial-rehab — interior renovation routed to notification only.

Stub — separate QuickStatements/Chrome pass.

• boston-article80-threshold — the routing decision (embedded call).
• Boston Small Project Review (80E) — to be created.
• Boston PDA (80C) / IMP (80D) review — to be created.